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Rush Limbaugh: NASCAR fans booed Michelle Obama for 'uppity-ism’

November 22, 2011 | 9:41
am

Rush Limbaugh condemns, criticizes and otherwise lambastes many things, as his radio listeners know. But Michelle Obama seems to have become a target for particularly personal attacks from the conservative radio talk-show host. First, he called out the first lady on her weight; now he says she’s guilty of "uppity-ism."

Cracking on Obama's waistline (and nicknaming her Moochelle) was offensive and personal enough. But "uppity-ism"? That phrase -- uttered on his Monday's edition of his show -- won't sit well with some Americans, particularly African Americans.

Historically, "uppity" was considered a code word for blacks whom white people perceived as trying to rise above their station in life.

The use of the term follows the chorus of boos that the first lady and Jill Biden (wife of Vice President Joe Biden) received at a Sunday's Sprint Cup finale -- a NASCAR event -- in Florida. The pair were at the Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of their campaign to raise awareness about Joining Forces, an initiative to support military families.

Limbaugh made the comment while also accusing reporters of failing to grasp why the two women received such a hostile reception.

"Media can't believe it," Limbaugh told his radio audience. "But I can. People don't like being told they are lousy parents ... people resent Mrs. Obama's bizarre need to tell us what to eat and how much to exercise."

Those comments were in reference to Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity.

What followed was a vintage Limbaugh rant that blasted the White House for what he views as playing to the Prius crowd, bankrupting the U.S. economy, "screwy" expenditures, taking needless vacations while the unemployed in this country suffer, and more:

"I'll tell you something else -- we don’t like paying millions of dollars for Mrs. Obama’s vacations," he said. "The NASCAR crowd doesn't quite understand why, when the husband and the wife are going the same place, the first lady has to take her own Boeing 757 with family and kids and hangers-on four hours earlier than her husband, who will be on his 747. NASCAR people understand that's a little bit of a waste. They understand it is a little bit of uppity-ism. First ladies have not been known to hop their own 757s four hours ahead of their husband when they're going the same place."